PLUS: PRO BASKETBALL; Anthony Signs Deal With the Nuggets

Signing Anthony was all but a formality for the Nuggets because the parameters of his contract are set by the N.B.A.'s rookie salary scale. But by waiting until yesterday for the deal, Anthony gave his new team an extra $540,000 in salary cap space.

As the third overall pick in the draft, he was eligible for a three-year deal worth about $8.67 million.

He averaged 22.2 points and 10 rebounds at Syracuse.

PISTONS' HAMILTON SIGNS DEAL: Richard Hamilton agreed to a seven-year, $62 million deal with the Detroit Pistons yesterday, a source within the league told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Hamilton led Detroit with a 19.7-point scoring average during the regular season, also averaging 3.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

He averaged 22.5 points during the team's postseason run to the Eastern Conference finals.

The Pistons acquired the 6-foot-7 guard from the Washington Wizards for Jerry Stackhouse in a six-player trade before last season.